Army machine gun 'fires without trigger being pulled'

A machine gun on the Army's Warrior armoured vehicles has fired without the trigger being pulled on at least 18 occasions, leaving one soldier with crippling leg injuries.

By Graham Tibbetts

10:28AM GMT 02 Nov 2008

A Ministry of Defence investigation into the 7.62mm weapon, fitted to 800 vehicles, found that its perceived reliability was so bad that troops were fearful of using it.

It comes just days after the commander of the SAS in Afghanistan, Major Sebastian Morley, told The Daily Telegraph he was resigning because of the MoD's "gross negligence" in failing to properly protect personnel against the Taliban.

The problems with the Warrior chain gun came to light after Sgt Albert Thompson of the 1st Battalion of the Black Watch was hit in the leg in Iraq in 2003.

He was forced to have his leg amputated below the knee and was awarded more than £1million in compensation.

Initially the MoD blamed Cpt Tam Henderson, the gunner, and convicted him of negligence. He was later cleared on appeal.

But an internal report - a Board of Inquiry - found that the "undemanded firing" of the gun had occurred at least six times between 1999 and 2004. It concluded that the gun "is unpopular with many service users primarily due to a perception of reliability issues".

The MoD has admitted in an email to Mr Henderson that the weapon has also fired at random 12 times this year alone.

Another report by the MoD's Defence Logistics Organisation disclosed that it killed one Iraqi civilian and severely wounded another when it discharged without warning in 2004.

Mr Henderson said: "I can't believe the MoD has finally admitted the gun is dangerous. It has tried to cover up this lethal fault for years. Why does the Government allow so many British troops to die because of poor equipment and funding?

"I resigned my commission last year because I felt I could not lead my troops into a war knowing we were not supported."

The cost of correcting the fault has been estimated at £18 million.

Liam Fox, shadow defence secretary, said: "If this is a correctable fault and nothing has been done because of the cost, then it is a scandal."

An MoD spokesman said: "We accept that there are instances of undemanded firing with the chain gun. There are varying degrees of technical problems and mechanical faults.

"Any problems with the chain gun are investigated immediately and addressed as required. We have confidence in the Warrior chain gun."